10 Enormous Details Surrounding Gigantopithecus, The Largest Ape That Ever Lived

6 /10 Grasses' Carbon

The tooth of Gigantopithecus was first discovered in a Thailand cave teemed with other fossils of a porcupine, orangutans, buffalo, and deer.

It was located near a dam, but the exact site is no longer there; since the completion of the dam construction, water has flooded the area and likely washed it away.

Leafy plants and grasses have different photosynthesis chemical pathways, and the latter accumulates higher carbon levels than the former.

The carbon isotope in the tooth enamel should inform scientists about the main diet components of Gigantopithecus.

5 /10 Isotopes In Teeth

All animals in the food chain retain the chemical signature of the plants in their bones and teeth. The carbon isotopes remained in existence even when the particular animals died long ago.

Not only did the test reveal the main diets of the animals, but also their habitats.

Along with Gigantopithecus’ tooth, the scientist also examined other fossils, especially of large mammals, found at the site using the same method.

One this is clear: unlike King Kong in Skull Island, Gigantopithecus did not eat meat, let alone giant squids.

4 /10 Doomed To Extinction

Gigantopithecus most likely lived in forested regions. However, studies of other fossils discovered from the same site revealed dietary components typically found in both forest and savanna.

Between the Early to Middle Pleistocene, there might be a wide range of those landscapes in Southeast Asia at the time of the giant ape.

There must have been a large expanse of grasslands near the forest habitat of Gigantopithecus, but they didn’t wander far enough to look for food outside the dense woods.

Such a restricted diet limited their options and drove them to extinction.

3 /10 Giant Beasts

Since living in the forest was the only viable way to survive, Gigantopithecus slowly but surely vanished from the face of the Earth due to the continued disappearance of the habitat.

Each time the climate reached a lower temperature and the land became drier, the forested region shrank. The giant ape lost their access to food resources, and their population dwindled.

When there were only a few remaining, a brutal cold snap occurred, and the last of the Gigantopithecus couldn’t cope with nature.

2 /10 Population Bottlenecks

With shrinking forests, Gigantopithecus – massive size – could not find enough space to explore for food.

Ancient, dense forests exist in Southeast Asia, but they are tiny compared to the condition hundreds of millennia ago.

Orangutans have smaller measurements and can reduce their metabolism rate when fruits are scarce, allowing them to survive.

When forest habitats are sparse, orangutans can keep their population stable, and Gigantopithecus did not have that option.

1 /10 New Piece In A Puzzle

However, all the studies completed to this point still did not wholly explain the extinction. Disappearing forests and cold climates only fill a small part of the story.

According to Bocherens, the revelation thus far only marks the beginning of a long study. It is like a small piece in a new puzzle, but the mystery does not show how it should be completed.

The only consensus is that Gigantopithecus once walked the planet as the enormous ape to have ever lived.